Amadeus a



(NoMael.)

A. A. PROEHLICH.

` n CURTAIN PASTBNER.

No. 490.709. Patented Jan.' 3l. 1893,

AMADEUS A. FROEI-ILIOH, OF BROOKLYN,`ASSIGN OR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM HODGSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

.CURTAIN-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 490,709, dated January l, 1893.

Application filed March 7, 1892.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, AMADEUS A. FROEH- LICH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Curtain-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of the same.

The present invention relates to fastening devices for curtains and like covers or coverings, and particularly to that kind of fastening devices wherewith the curtain is secured to a headed pin or shouldered projection passing through a metalliceye on the face of or otherwise secured to the cu'rtain.I

The invention consists of a curtain eye composed of a suitabble casing or base, pierced for the passage of the head of a pin or knob, and bearing jaws pivoted thereon which are spring actuated to close together behind or upon the head of a knob and hold upon the same. l

In the drawings Figure 1 is a front face or plan View of a curtain eye embodying my invention, the same being secured upon the face of a section of leather or fabric. Fig. 2 is a face view of the back plate of the same, the supplemental or reinforce plate on the back of the leather or fabric. Fig. 3 is arear face view of the base plate of the device. Fig. 4 is a plan or front face view of the base plate of the eye, the covering cap or case being removed. Fig. 5 is a cross-section of the eye on a plane through the pin or nail head hole, a curtain pin in dotted lines being shown in position of entering-the eye. Fig. 6 is a modification.

In the views A represents the curtain, sheet, hanging or other cover to which the eye is attached.

B is the base of the eye,which is a flat piece of sheet or thin metal cut preferably to oval form and centrally pierced by the opening C.

D is the case or cover of the eye. This case is of light sheet metal struck up in cup form, and is provided at its edge with the clinch ngers E, corresponding in position to the slots F at the edge of the base plate. This case also may or may not be pierced with the Serial No. 424,001. (No model.)

opening G which is central to the case as is the opening C of the base plate.

H is thereinforce plate pierced and of shape like plate B, and is arranged on the opposite side of the curtain and at its edge it is pro` vided with slots or notches I to receive the fingers E. A suitable hole is cut through the curtain of size about the same as the hole O of the eye, and correspondingly located holes are punched for the fingers E. The eye is then put on the curtain with fingers F proj ecting through the material thereof. The reinforce plate is then put on the back side of the curtain,the lingers being passed through its edge slots and bentdown, as seen in Fig. 2, thus firmly securing the eye to the curtain.

Upon the face of the base plate are mounted, by pivots J, the jaws or dogs K. These are preferably angularly notched at the position of the hole O, so as to partially conform thereto, as well as to produce extended engaging edges by which to hold the nail or pin to which thecurtain is to be secured. These jaws, at these notches, are also beveled off from their upper to their lower faces, see Fig. 5, so that the forcing of the head or end of a curtain pin or knob against and between them will cause them to Separate to permit such end or head to pass. Between the lower ends of these jaws is arranged a coiled spring L, the action of which is to tend to cause the jaws to close together. In Fig. 5 I show another form of spring M, this being a plain wire or strip having converging ends that bear on the upper parts of the jaws and force them together. Between the upper` ends of the jaws is,'piv otally mounted on the base plate by pin O, the cam P. The pin O extends through the case and bears at its upper end the thumbpiece head Q. It will now be plain, that forcing the eye over a nail, pin or knob head of suitable size, as seen in Fig. 5, will cause the jaws to first separate and then to close behind the head and securely engage and retain the same. Turning the thumb-piece will part the jaws and release the pin head.

It is to be noted that this device combines an eye with engaging or locking devices, and therefore becomes practically a universal fastener, at the same time being much cheaper IOO (particularly referring to the combined cost of eyes and knobs as used in quantities) than the common forms of kindred fasteners. Thus it has been common heretofore to construct the knob or pin device so that its head or other engaging part or parts should be adjustable to enter and engage and disengage from a plain eye in the curtain. This called for additional reinforcing pieces, to be separately secured to the curtain to strengthen the eye therein. Also, since the attaching devices of the knobs must be varied to comform to the material of the parts carrying the knobs, a number of styles of knobs (such as nail, barb, staple, rivet-shank knobs, dto.) were necessary to ll the requirements of ordinary use, thus adding to the general cost of manufacture. In my fastener, however, the eye reinforce parts carry the locking parts, and this permits the employment of a universal size of eye (certainly only a few different sizes), adapted to the common head of many styles of knobs. Furthermore, the engaging parts of my form of curtain eye are hidden, and the eye does not become unsightly by long use or wear. rihis eye in its general form and construction, especially of casing and plate parts, may be variously modified to adapt it to different applications, and I do not therefore confine myself to the exact form shown.

That is claimed as new is:-

l. As an improved article of manufacture, a curtain fastener, consisting of a base plate, B, having a central eye formed therein for the passage of a knob or pin, two spring actuated dogs, pivoted upon said base plate, a cam P located between the said dogs, a case D. in-

closing the said dogs and cam, and a thumb piece Q located without the case and a spindle formed thereon having a bearing in said case and connected with said cam whereby to operate the said dogs, substantially as and for the purposes herein before set forth.

2. As an improved article of manufacture, a curtain fastener, consisting of a base plate B, having a central eye formed therein for the passage of a knob or pin, two spring actuated jaws or dogs K-K. pivoted upon opposite sides of the eye and extending normally across the same,a cam P located between the longer free ends of said jaws, a case D inclosing the said jaws and cam, and a thumb piece Q, located without the case and attached to said cam whereby to operate the said jaws, substantially as described.

3. [n combination in a curtain fastener, a base plate B, having a central eye formed therein, two spring actuated jaws pivoted upon opposite sides of the eye and extending normally across the same, a cam P located between the longerfree ends of said jaws, a case D inclosing the jaws and provided with the clinch fingers E passing through the said base and adapted to engage the leather or other material upon which the fastener is mounted, and a thumb piece Q located without the said case and secured t6 the cam whereby to operate the same to open said jaws, substantially as described.

AMADEUS A. FROEIILICH.

Titnessesz R. F. GAYLORD, ERNEST HorKiNsoN. 

